Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-01-28
A RAILROAD RIDDLE.
WILL THE INTERSTATE COMMLECU
BILL MEET THE CASE?
Different Sets of Charges f{rtwccn the
same Terminal Points on Different
Roads Can Sti1 Trevail-No More
Free Passes TO Congrcssnen

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.-Now that ths
| interstate commerce bill is to bcconc n law.
as serious an attempt is made by those who
are Interested in the measure to ascertain
what it really means as has hccn tuudr at
any time during the progress of the bill
| through congress. The attention of members
! of the conference committee was called this
morning to the report from Chicago that it is
| claimed there that the Vanderbilt roads can
! maintain their rate~, both for through and for
Local rates, irrespective of the b:l because they
! own the two lines between Chirago and New
| York, the New York Central and its conncc-
tons and the Nickel Plate and il ) connections
and that they can charge the local rates on
one line and the low through rate ON the
other, with n view of carlyngall the through
freight on one road. y member OF the COM
mittee said that theory was undoubtedly cor
rect; that there was nothing in the bill that
would prevent different sets of charges be-
tween the same terminal points on different
roads, and the fact that the two roads are
under the same management is a matter
which, if it could he controlled by legi,-
lation at all, is certainly not regulated
by the present bill All that the bill
does he says, is to prevent discriminating
rates on the long and The short haul on
the same line. If the Nickel Plate is TO be
used through freights and the low rate
charged, the owners of the road would of
course, he compelled not to discriminate
against the intermediate stations. II un-
doubleday, therefore, is a fact that the Van
derbilts can compete for the through freight
from Chicago to the seaboarl over one line
of the roads which they control, provided
they are willing to sacrifice the local rates
along that line The bill, said this gentle
man. could not prevent this The attention
of the committee was called to lust
such contingency, and it was admitted
that such a course might be pursued By
one or two companies But there are not
many cases in the United States where thi,
could be done probably the number does
not exceed two The other case. as the com
mittee is advised, is in the roads which run
between Boston and Portland Me. The
same company owns or controls two lines be-
tween those terminal points The one is a
short line ; the other loop making II con
siderable detour, is much longer 1t will Ice
possible for this road also to establish a
low rate for through freightS between these
two terminal points on one of its roads,
and much higher rate on the other,
maintaining the local rates on one
of the lines and making them conform to the
lower through freight on the other. OF course
the roads will not come within the prohibi-
ton Of the law as to the refusal of freight
under such circumstances, for no through
freight will be offered at the higher rates
But the fact that this thing is possible in two
places cannot counteract, it is held, the gen
eral benefits conferred by the bill through
out the country.
As to the point that the New York Cen
trail also can evade or defy the law by trans
porting goods to Buffalo and then re-hippiug
them 10y lake to Chicago aud the upper points
members of the committee say that that sub
ject was carefully considered and the COM
mlttee is of the opinion that this could not be
done without an evasion of the law. The in
tent of the shipper gives the character to the
freight, and if the goods shipped from New
Nork are intended for Chicago they cannot
be reshipped ut Buffalo without taking on
the character of interstate commerce.
1t perhaps may be worthy of note that a
good many rather curious and anxious i'll
quries have been made by congressman as
to the effect of the law upon passes The
answer given by some of the representative
railroad men here is that there will be no
possible doubt as to the policy of the rail
roads with respect to congressman;
that is, that no passes viii be issued
to them. a member of the conference
committee says that the law does
not anywhere directly forbid passes. but
mterentially 1t does, inaSmuch as pass is
preference; but that of course the law can
not forbid the issue of passes by railroad to
be used within IA state, so that. unles, the
railroads choose to make the law an excuse
for refusal, passes can be granted to members
OF state legislatures as freely rs ever In
fact, the constitution of one state at least
New Jersey-requires the railroads to fur
nlsh annually passes to every member of the
leg stature; that is one of the fundamental
conditions of their charters under the consti-
tuition OF the state
Congressman Durham, of Chicago who
has been making some estimates as to the
effect OF the bill, is of the opinion that the
long and short haul provision, in view of the
new conditions of the wheat transportation
business in the far northwestern cities, NAV
prove to be a benefit to Chicago rather than
an injury. This is especially true as to the
commerce of st. Paul and Duluth 1t seems
that under the present system cars are hauled
from Minneapolis to New York as cheaply
as from Chicago to New York, and that
the 60 600 barrels of -four annually produced
at Minneapolis are hauled to New York from
that place for "A less sum than the same
amount of freight can be hauled from Chi
cage. This flour is not now shipped to New
York through Chicago, but is shipped to
Peoria and thence east by rail The compet-
tion between six railroads at MINNEAPOLIS for
the transportation of this large product, has
resulted IN II very low rate by this longer
route. Under the interstate commerce
bill, this practical discrimination against
Chicago as "A handler of merchandise would
not be possible.
No Free Passes In Texas.
AUSTIN, Tex, Jan GA bill has passed